By Ben Musanje
The Uganda Technical and Vocational Trainers’ Union (UTVTU) has petitioned Parliament to intervene in what it describes as deep-rooted and long-standing challenges undermining the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Sports on Thursday, the union presented a wide-ranging memorandum outlining grievances affecting trainers, institutions and students, and warned that unresolved administrative, staffing, funding and policy challenges are threatening the Government’s ambition to use skills development as a driver of Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.
The union said many of the issues have previously been raised with the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Ministry of Public Service, but that repeated engagements have not produced lasting solutions.
According to UTVTU General Secretary Nobert Agaba, the unresolved concerns were among the reasons the union took industrial action in September 2025. The action was suspended after an appeal for dialogue from the First Lady Maama Janet Museveni, who at the time also served as Minister of Education and Sports, but the union says almost a year of subsequent meetings and reminders has yielded little progress.
UTVTU, which was formally registered by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in 2023 under Registration Number LU48, says it subsequently signed a recognition agreement with Government to represent TVET trainers.
Dispute over status of Fashion and Design trainers
One of the most contentious issues raised before Parliament concerns the redesignation of Fashion and Design trainers as non-science staff.
The union argues that Fashion and Design is a highly technical field involving textile science, garment technology, industrial production, computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), pattern engineering and fashion technology.
It says placing trainers in the non-science category has undermined their professional standing and resulted in salary losses for affected employees.
UTVTU called for the restoration of the trainers’ science status and salary scales, including retrospective compensation for financial losses suffered as a result of the redesignation.
The union said the Ministry of Education and Sports had previously supported its position and formally communicated with the Ministry of Public Service, but accused the latter of failing to implement the proposed changes.
The trainers contend that the decision should be reconsidered in light of constitutional provisions on equality, fair remuneration and equal opportunities, as well as Uganda’s wider industrialization agenda.
Workshop staff face demotion concerns
The union also raised concerns about the treatment of Workshop Assistants and Workshop Technicians.
According to UTVTU, Workshop Assistants possess technical qualifications comparable to Laboratory Assistants in secondary schools but are not remunerated at equivalent levels. The union described proposals to redesignate Workshop Assistants as Workshop Attendants as effectively a demotion that could damage morale and compromise workshop safety.
It wants experienced and qualified Workshop Assistants to be upgraded to Assistant Trainers and salaries aligned with comparable technical positions.
The union also disclosed that five Workshop Technicians were notified by the Education Service Commission in December 2024 that their applications had been successful, but they had reportedly not been appointed or posted.
UTVTU urged Government to immediately complete their appointment and deployment.
Trainer shortage threatens quality of skills training
Another major concern is the shortage of trainers across public TVET institutions.
The union said many institutions are operating with fewer than half of the trainers they require, making it difficult to provide effective practical and competency-based training.
It called for nationwide recruitment and the filling of vacant positions within two financial years, alongside annual recruitment schedules and a clear national staffing norm.
The trainers also proposed automatic consideration for promotion after every three years, subject to academic qualifications and satisfactory performance.
They argued that the failure to recruit trainers promptly is particularly problematic because qualified personnel graduate or become available every year while institutions continue operating with inadequate staffing.
Trainers demand professional development and promotion opportunities
UTVTU further complained that many trainers remain on the same salary scale until retirement, even after acquiring higher qualifications.
The union wants Government to establish transparent promotional ladders and introduce funded professional development opportunities.
The concern has become more urgent following the enactment of the TVET Act, 2025, which introduced mandatory Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirements for trainers as part of the licensing framework.
UTVTU says the Government has not yet provided sufficiently clear mechanisms or resources to make CPD workable.
The union proposed Government-funded scholarships, international exchange programmes, industrial research funding, innovation funds and incubation centres to support continuous professional development and innovation within TVET institutions.
Union objects to changes made without consultation
UTVTU also criticised what it described as major structural decisions made without adequate consultation with trainers.
The removal of Workshop Technicians and Drafting TVET Assistants from the TVET structure, for example, has raised concern because these officers have traditionally played a central role in practical instruction.
The union said future restructuring should involve all relevant stakeholders and insisted that UTVTU, as the legally recognised representative body for trainers, should be formally involved in decisions affecting their profession.
It proposed that every major workshop should have at least one technician and one assistant to support effective practical training.
Payroll and welfare challenges
Staff welfare emerged as another significant issue.
The union said many TVET trainers employed through local governments experience difficulties accessing payroll and alleged that corruption and administrative challenges have contributed to the problem.
It also cited inadequate staff accommodation, limited occupational safety programmes and what it considers unaffordable and inconsistent licensing fees imposed by the TVET Council.
UTVTU wants TVET staff salaries to be managed through a centralised payroll system to reduce administrative difficulties at district level.
It also called for medical insurance covering occupational hazards, housing schemes, research grants and hardship allowances.
Student selection delays cause concern
The union expressed particular concern about delays in student selection for TVET institutions.
It said the selection exercise for the February/March 2026 intake had not been conducted at the time of its presentation, despite Government having released funds and grants to institutions.
UTVTU attributed the delay to a verbal directive from the TVET Operations and Management department and argued that such decisions create uncertainty for institutions, students and parents.
The union called for the immediate commencement of student selection and proposed digitising the national process so that admissions can automatically begin once UCE, UACE and UVTAB results are released.
It also asked Parliament to hold officials accountable for unnecessary delays.
The union further protested against the reported denial of admission to some students with BCA/SM and BCFN/SM qualifications seeking places in health training institutions, arguing that students who had already secured admission, including some with Government scholarships, should be allowed to continue their studies.
Funding remains a major obstacle
UTVTU also told Parliament that inadequate capitation grants are making it difficult for institutions to provide competency-based training.
The union pointed to differences in grants provided to different categories of institutions and argued that some institutions receive inadequate funding despite having significant numbers of Government-sponsored students.
It recommended increasing capitation to between Shs1 million and Shs2 million per trainee to reflect the actual cost of practical training.
The union further urged Government to treat TVET funding as an investment rather than an expenditure, with increased financing for workshops, laboratories, ICT infrastructure, tools, equipment and consumables.
It proposed that institutions receive funding that reflects the actual cost of competency-based education, including the materials required for hands-on training.
Frequent curriculum changes criticised
Frequent curriculum revisions were another concern raised before the committee.
UTVTU said institutions are often expected to implement new curricula without sufficient time or funding to retrain trainers, acquire equipment or upgrade facilities.
The result, it argued, is increased operational and assessment costs as well as confusion among institutions and trainers.
The union wants every curriculum review to be accompanied by trainer retooling, equipment procurement, pilot implementation and industry validation.
It also proposed a semester-based modular training system, saying this could reduce costs for parents while improving flexibility and training outcomes.
ICT gaps threaten digital skills agenda
The trainers warned that Uganda’s ambition to build a technology-driven economy is being undermined by inadequate ICT infrastructure in TVET institutions.
According to UTVTU, many institutions have no computer laboratories, while those that do often have too few computers and lack high-speed internet, simulation software, digital fabrication facilities and artificial intelligence tools.
The union said modern TVET training must equip students for workplaces increasingly shaped by automation, digital manufacturing and artificial intelligence.
It linked the issue to Uganda Vision 2040 and argued that the country’s aspiration to become a middle-income economy will remain difficult to achieve without substantial investment in modern technical skills.
Closed programmes leave trainers redundant
The union also criticised decisions to close certain programmes at TVET institutions without adequately assessing their viability or redeploying affected trainers.
It cited Lugogo Vocational Training Institute, where it said programmes in Machining, Carpentry and Painting had been closed while trainers continued receiving salaries.
UTVTU argued that this represents a financial loss to Government because trained personnel remain underutilised.
It urged the Ministry of Education and Sports either to reinstate closed programmes or transfer affected trainers to institutions where the same programmes are still offered.
TVET graduates seek greater access to universities
The union further complained that TVET graduates at certificate and diploma levels are often disadvantaged when seeking admission to public universities.
It said opportunities for TVET graduates to upgrade through Government sponsorship are limited and accused public universities and the Higher Education Students Financing Board of failing to adequately accommodate learners coming through vocational pathways.
UTVTU wants Government to reserve a defined percentage of public university admissions for qualified TVET graduates and create a corresponding allocation within the student loan scheme.
Calls for stronger coordination
The union identified weak coordination among the TVET Council, Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB), the Ministry of Education and Sports and the TVET Operations and Management department as another source of instability.
It called for the establishment of a National TVET Coordination Secretariat and integrated digital information systems.
It also proposed mandatory quarterly coordination meetings involving Government agencies, UTVTU, industry and other stakeholders.
In addition, the union called for an independent investigation into management challenges within the TVET system, particularly in the TVET Operations and Management department.
Parliament urged to oversee reforms
Beyond resolving immediate grievances, UTVTU presented Parliament with a broader reform agenda.
The union wants Government to review and amend the TVET Act, 2025 through wide stakeholder consultation. It also called for a national campaign to improve the public image of vocational education, the appointment of TVET ambassadors and the introduction of a National Skills Week.
It wants Uganda to benchmark its reforms against countries such as Germany, Singapore, South Korea, Finland, China and Rwanda, while adapting successful practices to local conditions.
The union also proposed a permanent multi-stakeholder oversight mechanism to monitor implementation of TVET reforms and Uganda’s commitments under Vision 2040, National Development Plan IV, the African Union Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goal 4.
UTVTU said the reforms are necessary if Uganda is to build a modern, inclusive, adequately funded and industry-responsive TVET system.
The union’s appearance before Parliament now places the grievances directly before lawmakers, increasing pressure on the responsible ministries to respond to concerns that trainers say have remained unresolved for years.
At the heart of the union’s submission is a warning that Uganda cannot achieve its industrialisation and employment ambitions without investing in the people responsible for delivering technical skills.
For UTVTU, resolving trainers’ employment conditions, strengthening institutions, improving financing and ensuring predictable policy implementation are not merely labour issues but fundamental requirements for the success of Uganda’s national development strategy. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
